


Backwards

by moichi



Series: Backwards [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arachnophobia, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sanji is awkward, Texting, Zoro is kind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 22:39:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9093907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moichi/pseuds/moichi
Summary: Sanji is afraid of spiders. Zoro is not.





	

Sanji has always enjoyed living with others. He’s a naturally social creature; constantly making others comfortable and taking care of them whether by cooking, cleaning or just being there. Unfortunately, this is not often reciprocated, which is how he finds himself helpless and alone in his flat on a Sunday afternoon.

Technically, it’s not his flat. He lives there with Luffy (who got the place through some kind of family connection; Luffy’s never been clear about it and at this point Sanji doesn’t even care if Luffy's grandfather turns out to be a mob boss) and occasionally Usopp when he can’t make the rent for his own place. It’s a good deal for everyone involved. Usopp gets some kind of safety, Sanji can keep the place exactly as he wants it since the others don’t care, and Luffy does what he wants.

Presently, he finds himself cursing the fact that he lives with the least cleanly person in the United States, or perhaps the world. He’s stood on one of Luffy's chairs, presumably obtained from the formerly mentioned mob boss, and staring down at the hell beast that has appeared on the floor.

A spider.

He looks away and up instead as the sight becomes too much to bear. It’s big, would probably cover a big part of the palm of his hand if he were to hold it. The mere thought sends a shiver through him and he involuntarily gags on thin air. Just don’t look at it, he starts repeating as a mantra in his head. If you don’t look, it’s not there.

“Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look...” he lifts his foot to set it down, but then it strikes him. What if the spider has moved? He reflexively looks down. It’s still there. He pulls his foot back up to the chair so fast it wobbles a bit. He can stay on the chair. The chair is fine. He’ll just wait til the spider leaves.

Fifteen minutes later he dares a glance and it’s still there. Sanji doesn’t know much about spiders, besides the fact that they have way too many legs and some could possibly kill him, but he’s sure that they have got things to do. Surely a spider won’t simply hang about on the floor beside a chair, where no delicious insects or such could be found? Sanji can suddenly clearly envision Luffy returning home from wherever the hell he is and finding Sanji’s corpse, still standing there, spider still on the floor. He shudders. No, he’s got things to do, and no spider will stand in the way.

He pulls out his phone from his slacks and calls Usopp. Of course, he doesn’t pick up. He texts him.

_where the hell are you!?_

No response. He considers who could possibly be available and who with he wouldn’t mind sharing the fact that he can’t handle smushing a bug under his heel. He is barefoot though. Otherwise he would obviously have handled it.

Luffy and Usopp are off the rescuer-list. Nami wouldn’t do it. He doesn’t blame her. Chopper is probably in school. Robin and Franky are still on their honeymoon. He curses under his breath. It leaves two options.

One: texting Brook, the weird old dude who lives on the bottom floor and is constantly playing music way too loud.

Two: texting Zoro, the guy who lives two blocks away, listed as “the dumbass” in his phone. It’s self explanatory.

He texts Brook.

_are you at home i’m in a shit situation_

The reply is instantaneous.

**_no sorry LOL im at stevies place LOL!_ **

There’s a bunch of emojis that Sanji can’t quite decipher the meaning of.

_who is stevie?_

_**wonder LOL!** _

Brook is probably high or something. As if that old weirdo knows Stevie Wonder. Sanji sighs. He scrolls down his contact list once more, reaches D (Dumbass, The) and pulls up Zoro’s number. Staring down at it his mind goes blank. What the fuck should he write? After a couple tries at composing a text he feels his pulse quicken and that’s just ridiculous. He is _not_ nervous about texting _Zoro_. Impulsively he points his phone at the area where he knows the spider is, closes his eyes, takes a picture, and sends it. He doesn’t dare look at it. The knowledge that it’s still there on the floor makes his stomach churn.

_[photo attachment sent]_

**?**

**wth is that**

_get over here now_

Sanji holds his breath as he waits for an answer, counting the seconds.

**k 5 mins**

He lets it out.

* * *

 

Fifteen minutes later Zoro finally arrives, Sanji hears the door open without so much as a knock to alert him. Typical. At this point Sanji has attempted two more escape attempts to reach his cigarettes (on the windowsill behind him) but he’s been thwarted by the spider suddenly moving closer. Two faint thuds can be heard from the doorway, most likely Zoro’s dirty boots being shed on his freshly cleaned floor. That’s fine. He’ll let that slide, Zoro did show up after all.

Zoro appears in the doorway. He’s in sweatpants and a t-shirt. His green hair is flattened on the left side, and his earrings are tangled as if just having risen from bed although it’s nearing three in the afternoon. It’s not at all endearing. He grins at Sanji.

“What’s up?”

Sanji doesn’t deign to answer. He just points at the floor, in the general direction of where he remembers the beast to have been the last time he checked. Zoro follows the direction with his gaze and presumably spots the spider, as his grin drops and he looks a tad more serious. He moves forward and stoops, as if to touch the spider and Sanji involuntarily shrieks.

“Don’t!”

Zoro’s head snaps up and he frowns, confused.

“I thought you wanted me to-”

“I can’t watch!” He knows he’s not being logical, can feel himself turning red, but he’d honestly rather embarrass himself than know that the spider has touched someone’s _hands_.  _In front of him_.

Zoro straightens, and moves closer to Sanji.

“Hold on-” Sanji begins, panic seeping into his voice again, but then Zoro grabs him around the thighs and lifts him over his shoulder. Sanji is honestly so stunned he simply grabs hold of Zoro’s shirt, warmed by his skin, and allows himself to be carried. Zoro’s earrings jingle against each other and Sanji thinks that hearing that daily would probably drive him insane. Explains a lot about Zoro.

Zoro takes him to the kitchen where he deposits Sanji on the counter.

“Wait here.” he says and moves back towards the living room.

“Bring my cigarettes!” Sanji yells after him.

* * *

 

Zoro returns quickly and hands over the pack of cigarettes to Sanji, whose hand trembles a bit. He lights one quickly, takes a drag and huffs it out, barely tasting it. Fuck not smoking in the kitchen. He deserves it. He turns towards Zoro, who’s leaning on the counter opposite him.

“What did you do with it?”

Zoro shrugs.

“Tossed it out the window.”

“You had it in your hands!?” Sanji’s voice sounds shrill, even to his own ears, but it’s justified. North American spiders can be deadly. Fuck this country. He should have stayed in France. Should have stayed out on the ocean. No spiders there.

“Yeah.” Zoro responds easily, not sensing the gravity of the situation.

“Wash your hands!”

To Zoro’s credit, he does. Sanji chalks it up to Zoro being big and dumb and not being able to resist direct orders. That’s probably not it, but Sanji refuses to think about it more deeply.

“It’s just an insect, you know.” Zoro raises his voice a little to be heard over the streaming faucet.

“Arachnid!” Sanji responds defensively. “Some arachnids are deadly. You’re not afraid of scorpions? A spider is pretty much a tiny scorpion!”

Zoro turns the faucet off and starts drying his hands on the towel hanging off the oven handle.

“You’re afraid of insects too though.”

Sanji sucks in another breath of smoke and sulks. Zoro turns back towards him, pulls a hand through his hair and smiles lightly at Sanji, making his naturally hard face appear soft for a few seconds. Sanji hates him at that moment. His brown skin is contrasting with the mint green t-shirt, most likely not intentionally. It fits him like a glove, of course, making his stupid arms look huge and muscular. Stupid.

“You look like a dumbass wearing green.” Sanji lets out a stream of smoke towards Zoro. It doesn’t seem to faze him. Shit. “Why do you still colour your hair? You’re like thirty.”

“You’re seven months older than me.” Zoro replies.

Sanji ducks his head down so Zoro won’t see him smiling.

“Shut the fuck up.” He looks up again, feigning nonchalance. He slips off the counter and goes to flick his cigarette butt in the sink behind Zoro, pressing close to him as he doesn't move. He smells nice, a bit like the sea. Like home. Of course he would. Fuck. Sanji steps back to put some distance between them. He can feel Zoro watching him. He clears his throat. “Anyway… uh…” He glances at Zoro and then frowns. “Why did you even come here? Nothing better to do today?”

“You'd come get me if I needed help, right?” Sanji feels his pulse quickening, in a whole different way than when threatened by a spider.

“I guess.” He answers eventually. Then he smiles. “Probably couldn’t pick you up though, you’re too big.”

Zoro huffs.

“You’re just too skinny.” He doesn’t stop looking at Sanji. How can he do that without feeling awkward, Sanji wonders. That’s the worst thing about Zoro. He’s just always too damned sincere. “So…” Zoro stretches out the word, and Sanji catches him looking down at Sanji’s wrist watch. He doesn’t own one. Sanji should write that down, get him one for his birthday. “You gonna make dinner soon or…?”

Sanji finally looks him in the eyes and grins. It's light, but it's there. His stomach flutters. He curses it internally.

“Sure.” He doesn’t know how to say thank you to Zoro any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> one piece was probably my first ever fandom and i started writing fanfic about these two when i was like...eleven. never posted it though (thank god)
> 
> this is (hopefully not obviously) not beta-read so if you spot anything that's incorrect, please comment!
> 
> this is a one-shot but i could continue this! if anyone would be interested in reading that, let me know :)


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